Let me introduce you to Melody Asaresh Moghadam. She is a 4.0 student and is a music major at Sinclair Community College.
Moghadam hails from Tehran, the capital city of Iran. She has two older brothers and a loving mother who is a writer and a caring father who owns a real estate firm.
Tehran is the most populous city in Iran as well as Western Asia. It has a population of 8.8 million in the city and 15 million in the surrounding metropolitan area. It also has the second-largest metropolitan area in the Middle East.
Her family still lives in Tehran, and she recalls that her older brothers’ support for her made her feel like she had four parents instead of two.
What makes Moghadam so special is one of the first female trumpet players to come from Iran and study here in the states. She is also proficient at playing the piano and the setar, an Iranian string instrument.
Another passion of Moghadam’s is writing. She enjoys writing poetry and listening to music from as many different cultures as possible in her spare time.
Growing up, she lived a very supportive and free range environment. Any endeavor that her or her brothers wished to pursue was supported wholeheartedly by their parents.
She was especially helped by her mother who is an ex-ballerina who became a writer following the Iranian Revolution of 1979.
“She’s my absolute best friend,” Moghadam said. “I try to be like my mom because she is incredible and unique.”
Moghadam has been living in the states for two years, and living on her own in a foreign country has been a big adjustment for her.
“Being far from family and friends is hard, especially in Ohio, where there isn’t a big Iranian community,” Moghadam said. “It was hard the first days I came to Ohio, I got lost for hours.”
She remembers a specific time when she asked many people for directions to the University of Dayton but wasn’t able to get much help as everyone she asked didn’t know the address.
“Finally an international student I recognized knew the address and I was able to make it home safely soon after,” Moghadam said.
Moghadam does feel homesick every now and then, as she misses her family in Tehran. During these moments where she feels overwhelmed she loves to take a moment to go outside and enjoy whatever scenery surrounds her. She uses these moments as inspiration for her poetry and other writings.
One of the things Moghadam appreciates about Sinclair is the community environment fostered there. She loves the dedication her professors have to teaching and loves that she can practice and hone her musical skills.
Her goal is to improve her musical ability to to a level that she can do it professionally, and she looks forward to proudly representing her country of Iran as a great musician.
After graduation from Sinclair Moghadam plans to transfer to a 4 year school to earn her bachelor’s degree. She doesn’t know what she will do after that but is open to the many possibilities the world gives her.
Justin A. Baker
Staff Writer